TY - JOUR
T1 - Modeling the relationship between food animal health and human foodborne illness
AU - Singer, Randall S.
AU - Cox, Louis A.
AU - Dickson, James S.
AU - Hurd, H. Scott
AU - Phillips, Ian
AU - Miller, Gay Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was facilitated by Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN, USA. The work was also supported in part by Grant 00-35212-9398 from the National Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (R.S.S.). The authors attest that the opinions and work contained herein accurately reflect their opinions and not necessarily those of Elanco Animal Health or the U.S.D.A.
PY - 2007/5/16
Y1 - 2007/5/16
N2 - To achieve further reductions in foodborne illness levels in humans, effective pre-harvest interventions are needed. The health status of food animals that are destined to enter the human food supply chain may be an important, although often overlooked, factor in predicting the risk of human foodborne infections. The health status of food animals can potentially influence foodborne pathogen levels in three ways. First, diseased animals may shed higher levels of foodborne pathogens. Second, animals that require further handling in the processing plant to remove affected parts may lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Finally, certain animal illnesses may lead to a higher probability of mistakes in the processing plant, such as gastrointestinal ruptures, which would lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Consequently, interventions that reduce the incidence of food animal illnesses might also help reduce bacterial contamination on meat, thereby reducing human illness. Some of these interventions, however, might also present a risk to human health. For example, the use of antibiotics in food animals can reduce rates of animal illness but can also select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can threaten human treatment options. In this study, we present a mathematical model to evaluate human health risks from foodborne pathogens associated with changes in animal illness. The model is designed so that potential human health risks and benefits from interventions such as the continued use of antibiotics in animal agriculture can be evaluated simultaneously. We applied the model to a hypothetical example of Campylobacter from chicken. In general, the model suggests that very minor perturbations in microbial loads on meat products could have relatively large impacts on human health, and consequently, small improvements in food animal health might result in significant reductions in human illness.
AB - To achieve further reductions in foodborne illness levels in humans, effective pre-harvest interventions are needed. The health status of food animals that are destined to enter the human food supply chain may be an important, although often overlooked, factor in predicting the risk of human foodborne infections. The health status of food animals can potentially influence foodborne pathogen levels in three ways. First, diseased animals may shed higher levels of foodborne pathogens. Second, animals that require further handling in the processing plant to remove affected parts may lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Finally, certain animal illnesses may lead to a higher probability of mistakes in the processing plant, such as gastrointestinal ruptures, which would lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Consequently, interventions that reduce the incidence of food animal illnesses might also help reduce bacterial contamination on meat, thereby reducing human illness. Some of these interventions, however, might also present a risk to human health. For example, the use of antibiotics in food animals can reduce rates of animal illness but can also select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can threaten human treatment options. In this study, we present a mathematical model to evaluate human health risks from foodborne pathogens associated with changes in animal illness. The model is designed so that potential human health risks and benefits from interventions such as the continued use of antibiotics in animal agriculture can be evaluated simultaneously. We applied the model to a hypothetical example of Campylobacter from chicken. In general, the model suggests that very minor perturbations in microbial loads on meat products could have relatively large impacts on human health, and consequently, small improvements in food animal health might result in significant reductions in human illness.
KW - Campylobacter
KW - Dynamic simulation model
KW - Food safety
KW - Macrolide
KW - Risk-benefit analysis
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U2 - 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2006.12.003
DO - 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2006.12.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 17270298
AN - SCOPUS:33847406556
SN - 0167-5877
VL - 79
SP - 186
EP - 203
JO - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
JF - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
IS - 2-4
ER -